Thannek



(No Model) A. L. WEISSENTHANNER.

HBRMETIGALLY SEALED VESSEL. No. 566,952. Patented Sept. 1, 1896.

Fig, I.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

ALFRED IVEISSENTHANNER, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

HERMETlCALLY-SEALED VESSEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 566,952, dated September 1, 1896.

Application filed March 5, 1896.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED L. WEIssEN- THANNER, of New York, N. Y., have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hermetically Sealing Vessels, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

In my United States Patent No. 509,83, dated November 28, 1893, I have described means for hermetically closing bottles, and comprising a disk or cover, a compressible washer or packing, and a ring or holding-band having an angular flange at the top to engage the disk or cover, the ends of the ring or holding-band being attached previously to placing the capsule on the jar by means of a tongue and eye, or by soldering, or in any other way that admits of their easy detachment for the purpose of removing the capsule. The mode of application of this closure consists in subj ecting the capsule to direct downward pressure of, say, one thousand pounds, and while the washer is thus forcibly compressed turning the lower edge of the ring or band under the bulge or flange on the neck of the jar or bottle.

My present invention has particular reference to the hermetic closing of champagnebottles by an improved closure adapted to be applied by a mode of application similar to that described in my prior patent. In bottling champagne the corks used are of the very finest quality and are of large dimensions. They are forced into the neck of the bottle by great pressure, leaving a projecting head which is securely fastened down by wires or twine. It is well known that, notwithstandin g the great care and expense in bottling champagne, from eight to ten per cent. of the bottles are spoiled by leakage, which, owing to the great pressure of the confined gas, is very diffleult to avoid. Of course the wine from which the gas has escaped is of no commercial value, and the annual loss from this source is very heavy. By my present invention it has been found that this loss is entirely prevented, or at least reduced to a minimum.

The capsule or closure, which constitutes the most essential part of the invention, consists of a cap or cover having a central portion of such shape as to fit the cork, surrounded by a horizontal flange, from which depends an outermost vertical flange and a Serial No. 581,994. (No model.)

holding-band having detachable ends, and an inwardly -projecting flange which engages above the horizontal flange in the cap, said holding-band being adapted to be bent under a shoulder on the bottle-neck simultaneously with the application of pressure for forcing the cork into position, after the manner of applying the holding-band, as described in my former patent. By the employment of the capsule here described a cork of small dimensions, about half the size of the ordinary champagne-cork, may be used, thus saving great expense in bottling.

Hy invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is an elevation, partly in section, of the holding-band; and Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of a champagne-bottle to which my improved closure is applied.

Referring to the drawings, 0 represents the cap or cover,havin g a horizontal part of flange c and an outer depending vertical flange c. lVhen in position, the shoulder formed by the horizontal flange preferably rests against the upper edge of the bottle-neck.

E is the holding-baud, having an inwardlybent flange D at its upper edge resting over the horizontal part c of the cover, the ends of said band being joined by a tongue G, passing through an opening II.

B is the cork. It is forced into the bottle for about two-thirds of its length. The cap 0 is placed over the end of the cork and sub jected to a pressure of about two thousand pounds, compressing a portion (2 of the end between the edge of the bottle-neck and the cover 0. \Vhile such pressure is maintained the lower edge of band E is bent under a shoulder f on the bottle-neck. The securing of the cap is thus more quickly effected than when holding-wires are used, and, moreover, the opening of the bottle is more easily and conveniently effected.

While I have described the improved closure with particular reference to champagnebottles, it is of course not restricted to such use and may be applied to analogous receptacles.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

2 v seaese tical ann ular portion surrounding the vertical flange of said cover, the lower edge of said I 5 band being adapted to be bent under a shoulder on the neck of the bottle in securing the fastening, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two snbscrib- 2o ing Witnesses.

ALFRED L. WEISSENTIIANNER.

YVitnesses:

JOHN F. MEEHAN, WM. S. BROWN. 

